12 a cup of Unicorn Hair
by MaumitaAllForever
Summary: The tale of a girl who finds out about a magic world that was hidden from her and her twin in the cupboard of her grandparent's basement. Scorpios, Leos, Sagittariuses, and Cancers have the privilege of doing something impossible... but what?


Chapter One

Summer Break

Well, its summer break-something I detest as much as my twin brother's dog. Its awfully boring sometimes- I'll be honest with you, I adore school. And every summer break, my parents have to go on a business trip somewhere (this year it's Korea-the land I came from) so I have to be dumped in my Grandparent's house in Maryland. Sure, its fun going downtown to the aquarium and on the boats, but we always do the same thing every year since y twin brother and me were two. By the ways, I am Katie Parvati Jennifer Song and I have waist-long Jet-black hair (it's not exactly pin-straight, but silkier) and hazel eyes. You may be wondering where I got the name Parvati from, when I'm from Korea, but my mom loved the name (I know I love it more than her) and it's so pretty. I'm named after a Hindu goddess! My twin brother has shaggy black hair and the same kind of eyes and has a horrible obsession with disgusting soccer cleats. His name is Andrew Eutherford Song. Please don't ask me where Eutherford comes from… I really have no clue at all. We are both 13-years–old. I have a 7-year-old brother name Jimmy Song (and that's it). He looks like an exact smaller version of Andrew. He also knows all the video games possibly seen to mankind. He's always saying, "DIE MINIONS!" like the kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I give you my permission to pray for him.

Anyway, it's 6:30 in the morning the day before moving to Grandparents' until August 4. And I have to walk the idiot's dog, like always. Ask me not why if the dog's the idiot's, why does he not walk it himself? My only answer is I'm getting kind of tired of talking in an English accent.

As soon as I got out of the door and called for Mitchie while I finished tying the laces of my skates, the dog attacked me and I took her leash…

Aye, aye, aye.

She ran down the ramp, taking me with her, my roller skates out of control. She ran up the street and attacked Mrs. Jefferson (the lady that wears too much perfume) while she gets her newspaper.

" Preposterous Dog!" She shrieked the smell of her perfume almost making me faint while gagging. Mitchie whimpered.

" Sorry Ms. Jefferson, she's only a puppy-"

" If you can't control the dog, I suggest the pound!" She called, as Mitchie whipped back up the street, down the block and back up it to Ms. Tuffet for a scratch and down the street to Peter Pollinwars for a treat and up and down the street a few more times, and then finally back home.

" Ayiah Mitchie!" Mum scolded as I collapsed at the doorstep and dragged myself home.

Andrew snorted into his oatmeal.

" You think its funny don't you?" I demanded.

Jimmy laughed, looking up from his PS3.

" Andrew… why exactly is your sister walking YOUR dog?" Dad asked.

" Because," He replied grinning, " she lost a bet for thinking that she could win at playing soccer with moi."

" You- you cheated." I muttered. Okay, okay, I guess it was my own fault for making a bet with his highness.

" What's that Katie?"

I rolled my eyes and then smiled, realizing something, " Oh, didn't you say that I had to walk Mitchie until July 31? Well, I guess you forgot that the next day after the bet we were all leaving to Grandma and Grandpa's until August-where Mitchie will be at Peter's house! Ha-I only had to walk her for one day!"

Sometimes it makes me happy to have a dumb nerd in my house.

Andrew winced.

" Well, it's not that bad… you don't have to walk her either… and you know she behaves for Peter." I reminded.

" Ugh… not that. Mitchie bit me."

Jimmy laughed again along with me this time.

" You three better get ready, we're leaving in 30 minutes!" Mum called, "wear something nice! All of you!"

Andrew and Jimmy groaned.

I'm not that felicitated either, but, I love the dresses Ms. Tuffet makes me!

…

Chapter Two

690 True Drive

So we are almost to Maryland. It's not THAT long of a way, from Pennsylvania to Maryland. Well, here I am, wearing a silk green summer dress that goes up to my knees and has a pretty white sash embedded with green daisies on the waist. My hair was in a pixie bun and I wore dangling green teardrop earrings. Mum made me wear the gloves with it… I looked like I came out of Ella Enchanted. Finally, we pulled up to the street where our Grandparents live. I got up and rang the doorbell. The house next to Nana and Grandpa is Camille Conner's. She is so shy, which makes it even more boring. All she ever said was " Hi!" and "Bye!" and if you were lucky, "Nice weather." Next door to the right were Vanessa Lakshmi and her older sister Adeline, who was never here during the summer. The door opened and Uncle Ben opened the door. I screamed in confusion. He screamed back. It went like this:

" AHHHHHHHHHH!"

" AHHHHHH!"

And Andrew came up and was like:

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And then Jimmy and Mum came up and it was like:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And Dad was like:

" What the bamboozles are you screaming-AHHHHHHHHH!"

And Uncle Ben screamed again and scratched his head.

"It's only me Katie."

I blinked a few times and said:

"Uncle Ben, what're you doing here?"

" Grandpa and Nana left to Hawaii."

" Ironic."

" And they left me here to take care of you three. Hi Gabby! Hi Ken!"

" Hi Ben!" Mum and Dad replied in unison.

" Come in all of you." Uncle Ben had long brown hair that went up to his shoulders and a small mustache between his nose and his lips (where all mustaches are, hint, hint.) He had our eyes of course inherited from Nana herself (grandpa had dark brown eyes).

"Sorry Ben, we have to go now… heading to Korea…"

Andrew, Jimmy, and I marched into the house. It looked not as clean as Nana had it-it looked like a house was supposed to. This is why Uncle Ben is my favorite uncle. Jimmy sat down and started yelling, "DIE MINIONS! DIE!" so Andrew and I rushed up to our rooms upstairs, heaving our suitcases with us.

Let me tell you that I had a lot of shoes in that thing.

"Hey Katie, what are bamboozles?"

" IDK, Andrew, IDK." I replied closing my room door behind me. My room was untouched (unlike Andrew's, which was so messy, Nana ordered her maid to clean it up). Talking of maids (don't ask me why Nana has to be a Queen Victoria in 2009 with a maid), where in the world was Lizzy, anyway?

" Hey Katie! Where's Lizzy?" Andrew asked from his room next door.

I heard a soft humming coming from the attic where Lizzy's room was.

" Lizzy?"

I ran all the way up 3 stories of spiral staircases all the way up to the attic room. Lizzy immediately slammed her door behind her when she heard me.

" Hey Katie!" She gasped. She has wavy auburn hair and wears a red ankle-length dress and an apron and a white headband.

" Hi! Oh, Lizzy, thank god you're here! You're the only good reason we come here. And to see Nana and Grandpa, too. But you ARE the fun one, old people can't really do anything that easily, can they?" I asked. This is supposed to be a distraction. I've always wanted to see her room, but she says there's nothing there but boring stuff. I have caught a glimpse of it once; it was cheery and red. But its her cupboard room inside I wanted to really see. Let me get this straight, Lizzy is the most coolest person I have ever met, but if it's one thing that makes me annoyed of her (it is the only thing, actually), is that she never ever will take us inside the cupboard. Which is supposed to be bigger than ¾ of her room, because she says its haunted. I totally believe her. She won't let us into the basement either, but I'm not crazy about going, that's for sure. Once, I heard a bat in there and some other scary stuff. Well, it IS under the real basement. Believe me, there are so many floors in this house…

Okay, there's the Bottom basement (the scary one), the Basement, the kitchens (there huge), the 2nd floor, which is the Living and Dining room. Next, the 3rd floor, which we came in (there were 2 stories worth of doorsteps to climb, why didn't the people just put the doorsteps to the Kitchens?). There's the parlor (Nana calls it that, I think its just another living room). Where there is a theater, game room (Jimmy lives in there), and an art and music studio (I live there). The 4th floor is where Andrew, Jimmy, Grandpa and Nana, mum and dad, Uncle Ben and my bedrooms are. The 5th floor is the gym (that's where Andrew lives) and the 6th floor is the attic. A very big attic. The attic has 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, a huge cupboard, a bathroom, a storeroom, and a kitchen. Lizzy usually lets us go to the door next to the bathroom and up to the roof of the house, where there is a plaza/ café thing that Grandpa used to own. He calls it ' De Bonjour Café'. Those are the only French words I know anyway. Oh yeah, and Mademoiselle. I think that's how you spell it. Is Philip a French word, too? I swear it was on Beauty and the Beast. I really should excuse myself from this mind bubble.

Lizzy was talking to me about 'how was school' and ' did you like the skirt I sent you (that skirt was hot by the ways)'. I think she and Miss. Tuffet went to dressmaking school together.

"Oh, it was so pretty. And Miss. Tuffet made me a top for it after she drooled at it for an hour."

The skirt had pleats and layers that were white, dark green and yellow-orange. It had an orange silk bow on the side. The top was a yellow-orange shirt dark green lining and a knitted white sweater.

Andrew came up the stairs.

" Hi Lizzy!"

Lizzy smiled, " Hi Lewis… how was your soccer game?" Lizzy has an English accent, which I really like, by the way.

" Awesome! We won!"

Here they go talking about soccer; I'm going to see if Uncle Ben knows where Beauty and the Beast is in the theater.

Lizzy is really young, she's fifteen actually, and only two years older than us, but everyone trusted her like a twenty-five year old. I ran down to the theater.

" Uncle Ben?"

" Yes Katie?"

"Where's beauty and the beast?"

" That's funny, I happen to be watching it, I still can't figure out if Philip is a French word."

…

Chapter Three

Lizzy's Book

I squeezed the sky blue paint out of the bottle and pulled out my apron. The art and music studio was my favorite place in the house. " Disturbia" was playing in the background while I painted. I first started the sky. Then, I added a castle, a marble castle in the back. The forest was surrounding the castle and there was a lake in the front.

I don't know why I'm drawing this. I guess it just came to me. I was just about to put a draw-bride on the moat there-when Lizzy called me upstairs.

"Coming!" I called, putting down the brush and was about to head up to Lizzy's room when I saw a book next to another canvas. I picked it up just as Lizzy called me again. I took the book and ran up a few stories to the attic (I don't feel like counting).

" Hello Katie, I'm going to Baltimore to buy some groceries."

"BALTIMORE! Why don't you just stay in Greenbelt and go to the grocery store here?"

" Katie, you know those lines take forever here. Besides, I like Baltimore's grocery stores better."

" Okay." I agreed, the book growing sweaty behind my back.

" You know the rules Katie, no Basement, No attic."

" Well, you know I won't touch the basement, but can we go to the real basement? Uncle Ben put a pool table in there."

"Okay, just no basement. And NO ATTIC!"

I crossed my fingers to the attic as I nodded. The book was getting really sweaty.

" Okay, and tell your Brothers and Uncle that I'm leaving. Andrew's outside and Jimmy and Uncle Ben are playing WII Sports in the game room. You should go outside too. Vanessa and Sam are here this summer. And Camille is surprisingly outside as well."

" Okay."

" Bye."

Lizzy went to the roof. She liked going down the black wobbly steps that lead down from there (she's obviously not afraid of heights).

" Bye!" I called after her, and when she was gone I ran down to the Game room.

" Uncle Ben, Jimmy, Lizzy left to the grocery store."

" I hope she gets some pizza. Nana never let me eat pizza at all this month."

That's another good thing about Uncle Ben; he eats Pizza every three days and whenever we come over, make the best pizza, and loves pizza altogether. Now where can you find such a grown up kid anywhere in this world? Dad's a doctor, so Pizza is occasional, and Uncle Ben is a bone surgeon… but he still eats Pizza. Jimmy calls him Uncle Pizza.

I laughed and told them I was going outside.

I found Andrew playing soccer with Sam Trenton. He had short black hair with brown eyes and glasses.

I hid the book back behind my back before they could see it, but Sam caught me (those glasses are super powered I tell you -in such a thin frame).

" Hey Katie what are you hiding behind your back?" He asked.

"Me?"

Andrew and Sam stopped playing and gave me a ' don't be a blockhead' look. You know- the mixed eyebrow stare?

I bit my lip and brought the book in front of me. Hey, it IS just a book, right?

" It's a book."

Andrew looked at me.

" Where'd you get that?"

" The art studio."

" Whose is it?"

I shrugged.

" It looks like Lizzy's."

" Well, I didn't know that. And besides, I can't give it back to her now can I? We'll have to wait 'till she gets back. And it wouldn't hurt just to take a look?"

Sam sighed,

" That's what they always say."

Just as she was going to open the book anyway, a basketball knocked the book into the gutter.

I gasped and took it out quickly.

" Who in the world?"

A boy with long curly auburn hair up almost to his shoulder and Sapphire blue eyes came out of the house next door. I think it was Andrew's friend from school.

" I'm sorry. Camille took the thing and then threw it down here for some reason."

" You know Camille? That's a wonder." Andrew muttered.

" Well, of course I know Camille, she's my cousin." He said smiling.

" What's your name?" I asked, trying hard to shake the mud off the book.

" Nick."

" You know me and Sam from school. That's my sister-"

" Katie right?"

" Uh- yeah- how-"  
" Camille was saying something just before she knocked the ball out my

hand. She was like- oh that's Katie… and then she gasped at something and knocked the ball over here."

" Your cousin's strange." Andrew commented.

" Stranger than you think." Nick said.

I opened the book and flipped the pages. They were just stories about someone called Merlin- and then she looked at something. The book wasn't Lizzy's- it was Mom's AND Lizzy's!

" Andrew?"

" Huh?"

" Did mum ever tell you that she knew Lizzy before?"

" No."

" But right here it says- This book belongs to Gabby Song. And then it says below it- to my niece Lizzy from your aunt, Gabby."

" WHAT?"

" Read it."

" She never told me- then whose uncle's child is she? Uncle Ben's our only uncle on our father's side, and Aunt Tracy's the only AUNT in our mother's side. Aunt Tracy's only twenty, and Lizzy is fifteen. And Uncle Ben's Twenty- three and Lizzy's fifteen, again. So I'm a hundred percent sure it's none of them."

" It might just be her ' niece' not her REAL niece. Just her ' niece' in name." Sam suggested.

"Than why would she say This Book Belongs to: Lizzy Song?" Nick asked.

" Oh the mud covered that part." I said, accusingly.

" I already told you guys it wasn't my fault."

" They're fairy tales." Andrew commented.

" Then why is it so IMPORTANT to pass it to her niece with such care?"

" Well, lets read it then."

" You sound like Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow." I snapped.

" You'd know that Levar Burton hosts Reading Rainbow on PBS." Nick retorted.

" I never said he hosts or that it was on PBS did I?"

" Well…"

" Start reading Andrew."

"Ahem (good grief)… there once was a little boy named Merlin Hope. He lived in Edinburg, England with his mother and father. His father and mother always hoped for Merlin to be something great. His father passed away when Merlin was 5 years old. His Mother had good hopes for him still, but thought that Merlin needed a stepfather. Merlin's stepfather was rude and loved rubies more than anything in the world. Merlin's mother then sent Merlin to Zodiac- the wealthiest school in the entire world. Merlin liked it there but he wished the people there wouldn't be so gloomy and hopeless. There were no trees or any vegetation near the school. And the insides were gothic and creepy on gloomy rainy days. When Merlin was fourteen years old, he thought of planting a tree that would help his peers have hope and cheerfulness. Merlin planted a willow in the center of the compass grounds and called it Hope. Everyone went to the tree and worshiped it. Sir Arthur and Lady Guinevere blessed it with their wishes to govern the wonderful place of London.

Merlin heard them do this. The next day they were crowned King and Queen of the new name ' Camelot.' Merlin greeted them and, he didn't know how he had done it, but he conjured up a tiara for Queen Guinevere that was made of Opals, Pearls, Diamonds, and Sapphires. Queen Guinevere was pleased and asked where he got the Sapphires (they were terribly rare). Merlin replied the Hope Tree was growing Sapphires and King Arthur smiled at him strangely, and said, " Whither did thou find the Pearls?" (They were rare too).

Merlin replied that the Mermaids of the Lagoon of Mirth found them in the mouths of oysters.

" And whither did thou find the diamonds child?" Queen Guinevere asked, (they were the most rare).

At this Merlin smiled slyly.  
" This, good lady, I conjured myself… out of thin air."

" Are thou mocking me?"

"Oh no, Good Lady, I tried chanting a spell-"

" A SPELL?"

" Its what the nymphs call it. They also say if it works it is called Magic."

" Magic-that is my maiden name, child. And you have done the thing every enchantress has tried to do since the beginning of time, 300 years ago. That's is- fixes a spell for it to work. What did you do for it to happen?"

" I only hoped. I hoped that it would work so I could do something for your majesty, for you have been most kind to my poor mother."

" You are a good child. You are blessed to the day you die. Tell your mother to come hither."  
Merlin bowed and ran back home to his mother. Ms. Hope smiled at the accomplishments of her son and followed him fretfully to the castle (nagging about his hair). The King and Queen demanded for Merlin to be the next King of Camelot after them.

Years after, Merlin was king and all the good people of Camelot had learned how to enchant and conjure spells. Merlin, his faithful brother Melvin, and King Arthur's faithful stepbrother Kay were sitting with Kay's stepfather and Merlin's stepfather in the dining room (their mother passed away) and the stepfather was living still at 107 years old. Lady Guinvere had run off with Sir Lancelot and the dreadful Elaine had imprisoned Merlin for a few months, but that's another story. Merlin and Kay left with their stepfathers to assist Kay's wife with his daughter and son, Elizabeth and Nicholas. Merlin was drinking from his Goblet embedded with Diamonds, Sapphires and Pearls, in honor of Lady Magic's tiara. A few seconds later, Merlin died. A lot of people say he was poisoned by the extra drop of ruby juice and too much time heated in the hearth in the fire of Opals."

Andrew stopped.

"Wow." Nick muttered.

" What do you believe it?" Sam asked.

I shrugged, " Maybe, since mom actually passed it on to someone, but it just might be a fairy tale."

Andrew opened the book open again and closed it.

"Anyone want to go to the Attic?" Andrew asked.

" Oh, you're allowed to?" Sam asked.

" No. Not at all." I said grinning.

" But Lizzy won't be back though."

" So lets go what are you waiting for?"

At that moment Vanessa waved to Sam.

" Sam, your mother's calling you."

" BYE SAM!"

" I'll be back after lunch!"

Vanessa turned to me, " What you guys doing?"

" Were going up to the attic."

" The attic? You're not allowed are you?"

" Nope. Come with us."

" Well, its not like I have anything else to do." Vanessa followed us. Her hair was dark brown and crimped and she had brown eyes and thin silver-framed glasses.

We ran all the way up to the attic and into Lizzy's room. Andrew breathed heavily at the cupboard door. Nick said, " I really don't think you should be doing this."

I shook my head; " If there is something cool in there I am not giving up a chance of something fun in my life. Everyone knows I never have a fun day that I can please myself." Andrew counted to three and opened the door. Vanessa gasped.

There was a room of boxes, the strangest looking boxes. All of Lizzy's old stuff.

Vanessa winced at the cobwebs.

" There's nothing here, let's go."

"Wait." I said as everyone left. Andrew called back to me,

"Katie, Sam's here and we're going down to play pool."

" Okay!" I called back.

I pushed my way through the cobwebs and found an open box on the floor at the back. Then I heard a rustle in the coats in the back before I could do anything. I heard breathing. I pushed away the coats, my heart beating as fast as a bee makes honey.

I picked up the box, looked up and screamed.

…

Chapter Four

The Box and the Letter

I recognized the plaited brown hair and the thick cheetah framed glasses.

" Camille?"

Camille reached down for the same box as me.

" Hello Katie. What exactly are you doing in my attic?"

" YOUR ATTIC! Well, you're in mine!"

" Not possible. I just came out of my attic and inside the cupboard in there. And here you are."

" Well, that's what happened to me. This is Lizzy's cupboard, not yours!"

" Whose box is that, then."

" Camille, it says-' Katie Parvati Jennifer'- what the monkey? What is a box with my name doing in your- Lizzy's attic?" I demanded, staring at the name.

Camille hesitated, " I don't know."

"Then, why are you taking it?"

"I don't know, I thought it was mines, I have a box exactly like that in my Attic. And since I am in my attic I would like to know what you are doing here?" Camille asked, changing the subject.

" Uh… I already told you that this is MY-Lizzy's- Attic! Why in the name of my middle name Parvati are YOU in here?"

" It must be connected then, the attics."

" The attics connected? How? Why these two buildings connected, and not the other 6?" I demanded.

She shrugged.

" Don't tell anyone, or we'll get in much trouble for trespassing one another's attic." She said and got up to leave.

" Wait-you forgot my box."

Camille bit her lip and looked at it.  
" Remember, don't tell anyone about the box, or the connected attics."

Camille gave me the box and left back to her side of the attic.

I stared wondrously at Camille's side of the attic. I wonder why she didn't to have the attic fixed. I'm going to have to tell someone about it anyway. Of course I have to tell Lizzy. But what will she say when she knows that I've been in her cupboard?

I took her box and opened her cupboard door again, to see Nick and Vanessa staring me dead in the face.

"What the ham are you guys-"

" Were you talking to someone?" Nick asked.

I swallowed. I have to tell SOMEONE.

" I was looking around and then- and then- your cousin was in there-"

" Camille was in YOUR attic?"

" Do I sound that stupid… but I swear she was there. She said that the attics might be connected or something."

" The attics connected?" Vanessa asked.

" Wait- how long have you guys been here."

" Nick was here the whole time and he was listening. He thought some thing was wrong because he heard you scream. And then he went down to tell everyone that you were screaming, and nearly threw me out the way in the stairs. And then he told me and we just got in here a second ago." Vanessa explained.

" Wow. Really? Well, Camille was there and then she told me not to tell anyone that I saw her- but what else am I supposed to do? And then I found this box with my name on it."

" Your Name?" Nick asked.

" Well, I have it"- I opened the box just as Sam came in.

" What on earth are you guys doing?" He asked.

" Well…" Nick told him what happened.

" Camille was INSIDE your attic?" He demanded.

I nodded fervently.

" And then you found a box with your name in it?"

" Yeah…"

" What's in it."

" I just opened it. Whoa there's a letter."

Nick took it and began to read:

" Dearest Katie,

I am here to give you the wand you were supposed to be given when you were a baby. Your mother and my daughter want me not to tell you about this. But Gabby and Lizzy are Zodiacaries. Well, you might not know exactly what that means. It means you were chosen to fight a dark sorcerer that will steal the Allistics (the gems of Hope, Water, Fire, Illusionment, and Life). Your Great grandmother in honor of Lady Magic's tiara made these gems. Merlin loved the first three. The Hope Sapphire, the Water Pearl, and the Diamond of Illusions. But it was suggested that the two other gems, the Viviomentus Ruby and the Fire Opal caused him his death. Now, if the evil sorcerer gets his hand on the last Viviomentus ruby (there were many of those that he made himself to live), he will live forever. The rubies helped him live long but not forever, for he is alive since Merlin's time. I know what you may be thinking that, if you read the book dear Lizzy was supposed to give you, that the sorcerer probably poisoned Merlin in the first. Well, it is the most wrong conjecture. The sorcerer was not yet born till Merlin's death.

Now that is all I can say now. May you finally rid the dangerous sorcerer for this world, and destroy the ruby's power. Remember that you can only keep one of the Allistics if you can deserve it. So if evil will get the Viviomentus ruby or any of the Allistics, he cannot own it until he deserves it. This henceforth means he will have to kill something dear to him

Truly yours,

Aunt Felicity."

Nick finished confused.

" Well, that means your one, too."

" I'm one what too?" I asked.

" Zodiacary."

" Zodiac-what?" Sam asked.

" Weren't you listening to the letter?"

" Well, yes, actually, I was, but I didn't know Lizzy was your Aunt Felicity's daughter, Katie."

" I didn't even know I had a Aunt Felicity, you idiot." I snapped.

" Oh. Cause I usually would know every one in your finally because they all come to your Grandparents house."

" Sure, but why would Mum and Lizzy hide something from me that they would know I wanted to be able to do forever. They always knew I wanted to do something exciting like this in my whole life. Wait a second- you said, I'm a Zodawhatty TOO. Why do you say 'too'?" I asked to Nick.

Nick grinned at everyone and said,

"Surprise."

" No way!" Vanessa gasped.

" Oh my Gosh!" Sam squealed.

" OH WOW! No really, what 'surprise'?" I asked.

Sam and Vanessa nodded.

" I'm a Zodiacary too." Nick explained, a little dumfounded that no one got the ' surprise'.

" You are?"

" Yeah, when that's what Camille told me once. Then she was like Zodiacaries are bad people. They try to finish off the best wizard in the world. I laughed at her. I guess she heard someone on the bad guy's side saying that and believed it to be true."

"Camille told you that? So you're a zodiac thing, too?"

" Well, yeah. But I think I'm a different kind. I'm a Leonus. And I think you're a Scorpius."

" If you mean my Zodiac sign, yeah, I'm a Scorpio."

" Then there. All the Zodiacaries are a Cancer, Leo, Scorpio, or Sagittarius. And they all are supposed to work together as the Zodiacaries. My mom told me that after I told her what Camille told me."

" Hey, I'm a cancer!" Vanessa piped up, suddenly excited.

" And I'm a Sagittarius!" Sam gasped.

" And Andrew is a Scorpio too." I chimed in.

" That's the most coincidental thing I've ever heard." Said Nick.

" Ha-ha. But you don't really believe it do you?" Sam asked.

No one answered.

" Hey, where's Andrew?"

" He was setting up the pool table- I think there's something else in your box."

"What?" I asked turning around and looked in the box cautiously.

" I say nothing but that- that looks so much like a wand." Vanessa commented.

" You and you're imagination." Sam muttered, " Let's go get Andrew and play Pool."

" Yeah come on." Nick and Vanessa agreed.

I quickly stuffed the 'wand' (supposedly that's what it is- I believe in everything-okay?) and the letter in my skirt pocket and followed them down to the basement. It's a lot of exercise.

…

Chapter Five

The reason to listen to Lizzy

Vanessa and I were playing pool and Nick, Andrew, and Sam were watching 'Beauty and the Beast'.

" I never know, if Philip is a French word?" Sam asked.

" I dunno, aren't you the one taking French?" Nick asked.

Andrew snorted,

" Can we watch something else?"

" NO!" Sam and Nick bellowed.

" Wouldn't you like to watch Reading Rainbow?" I asked innocently.

Nick gave me a 'don't be a blockhead' look- you know the look with the mixed up eyebrows.

Vanessa laughed.

" Adeline told me that if you turn the cue stick a little to the right, it shoots easier."

" Oh! Well you shouldn't have told me that." I said, when I got the 8-ball into the pocket.

" I'm never telling you anything like that again."

A news update flashed on the TV (Nick and Sam groaned).

" We interrupt our feature presentation to show you an urgent new flash from Prince Harry of England. The prince says that at the ball for his welcoming home party, there was a dangerous robbery in the enormous and high security vault in the middle of the ball. Four of the Five gems that Miss. Chelsea Song-"

" That's Great Nana!" Andrew shrieked, the name buzzing up in his head.

" SHHHHHH!" I demanded.

"- Generously denoted to be protected to the Buckingham Palace when The Queen of England was 50, were stolen. There is only the last one, the most valuable, that is still in the highest security at this point. This gem is the most valuable ruby in the world and was once said to have dangerous powers of alchemy. The police are in immediate search of the other gems at this second. Please be aware that if the thief is caught, there is a $7000 reward. Now back to our feature presentation."

We all stared as Belle resumed laughing at Lemuire's show.

"Oh."

"My."

"Gosh."

" WHAAAT?" Andrew asked.

So Sam explained it to him.

" I can't believe it happened. The sorcerer guy really stole the gems!" I yelled.

" We have to save them now!" Vanessa squealed, close to bouncing off the top of the roof.

" How in Merlin's name are we- why did I just swear in the name of MERLIN? I've gone totally mental." Andrew demanded.

"How in Merlin's name are we going to 'save the gems?'" I said, finishing his thought, (well, I can do that since we are twins).

" I dunno. Let's just not do it." Sam suggested. Vanessa went totally loca after that.

" Look, Sam, we're not going to be PIGS and sit here when we're supposed to be there, wherever Mr. Evil is, and getting back the gems. Not sitting here and watching Beauty and the Beast. I won't just 'not do anything', Sam. I would help on what we're supposed to help on, and stick to it." Vanessa she screamed, " And Sam, if you want to sit here watching Beauty and the Beast, and be an ignorant PIG, then do so ALONE!"

" Aye, Aye, Aye." Nick muttered.

" I didn't mean th-tha-that, Vanessa, B-but y-you know, its pretty much-hopeless." Sam stammered.

" That's exactly what Merlin thought that his school was hopeless, right?" I said, quietly, " But he needed to make his own hope and how to believe that there was hope. And exactly what we need to do. We need to hope we can do what we were-um-you know destined- to do. And Sam, we ALL need to hope. Not just Vanessa."

" Who said I didn't?" Nick demanded, jumping as the Beast roared at Belle for going to the West Wing.

" And me-and me too!" Andrew whimpered, hiding behind the couch.

I rolled my eyes, " Stop being 'fraidy-cats, it's just the movie."

Vanessa turned to Sam.

" Sam agrees." Sam whimpered (more scared than Andrew did).

Vanessa and I smiled.

" Good, now Vanessa, how in Merlin's name are we going to find Mr. Evil?" Nick asked, grinning (in fear).

"Umm…"

I was about to bang my head on the wall, when my letter fell out my pocket.

" You're a genius!" Vanessa shrieked, picking up the letter.

" Yes, I know, but why exactly?" I asked, very innocently (in fear).

" Well, your aunt writes that Mr. Evil can't keep the gems if he doesn't deserve them. So he probably does SOMETHING so he can deserve it."

" Yeah, but wh-wh-WHOA!" I had just walked backwards a few seconds, when the floor gave away below me. I fell down with a thud- to the bottom basement.

" KATIIIEE?" Andrew called, and everyone crowded around the hole.

" Owwie." I groaned, getting up. I think I broke my pelvis girdle.

" Are you okay?" Nick asked.

" Super, Einstein." I snapped. I looked around and almost fainted. This is the reason we should listen to Lizzy. Down here is a tunnel. A weirdo tunnel of some sort.

" Uh- Katie I'm gonna swear that I just heard a bat. Is that okay with you?" Vanessa asked, shrilly.

" No, not really." I replied, a little more shrilly.

"Okay, sorry then."

" There's a tunnel. Some one come down here with me, I swear I hear bats."

Vanessa pushed Nick in and Sam pushed Vanessa in (bad idea Sam).

You wouldn't think it was appropriate if I mention what Vanessa said after that. I think I'll skip that part.

" It's not that bad down here Vanessa, you know. There are only bats." I said reasonably (Sam was whimpering behind Andrew in the background).

" Hey guys, look. There's more tunnels." Nick called, " Andrew, do you have a flashlight?"

" Yes, hold on… here."

I caught it and tossed it over to Nick.

Vanessa and I followed Nick into the tunnels.

Suddenly Nick gasped as we found another pitchfork tunnel.

He ran into one of the six tunnels and called us.

" What?" Vanessa and I asked in unison.

" What IS it?" He asked, pointing to something before him. We followed and found a round circular disk that was a green marmalade color.

" I dunno." Vanessa said, walking back. Her boots hit something hollow and the torches in the tunnel enlightened and a platform with a golden book came out of it. Vanessa ran to open it.

" It says it's a portal."

" What is a portal doing in my Nana's basement, exactly?" I asked.

" Shhh. Do you HEAR that?" Nick asked.

There was a faint rustling and two dark figures were coming into the tunnel.

I had to muffle Vanessa's screams.

" What ARE you doing that for?" A voice asked.

" ANDREW!?" Vanessa bellowed. It was Andrew's turn to whimper.

" Why are you HERE?" Nick asked.

" Well, why not?" Andrew asked.

" Don't you see?" I croaked, " the only way we could go back to the basement is if some one were there to pull us up. And now there isn't."

" I was Sam's idea." Andrew informed to Vanessa. I stepped back a few steps from Vanessa, naturally. As I did so, my feet slipped and a tripped.

" Uh-oh." Andrew gasped just as Vanessa was about to blow at Sam again. I tripped- right into the green disk-Nick after me.

There was waves of neon purple cloud and glitter. Then, the clouds moved away and I felt like Alice in Wonderland… being sucked up into a tunnel. I saw weird looking objects in the distance.

As I passed them I saw they were different portals and clocks and planets and galaxies dangling at different places. Suddenly, a soft blue portal came zooming up to me (I was screaming the whole time by the way) and as suddenly as I got sucked in the portal, I shot out of it. Really hard.

At least, wherever I landed, it was on grass.

I got up to brush the dirt off my skirt as Nick got spat out as I did, except harder.

I winced. I heard roaring and screaming in the distance and a second later, out came Sam, landing right on Nick.

" Ugh, g-gert the hell Offa me y-you idiot!" he shrieked.

I was smirking and winking at the same time now.

I then heard Vanessa's anger flooding through the portal, and she landed out the portal perfectly on her feet. Andrew landed in a tree nearby.

" I'm OKAY!" Andrew informed, as a bird's nest fell out of the tree.

" Did you guys see the things in the portal? They're were dangling planets and more portals and stuff in there." Vanessa asked.  
" We heard you seeing them." I muttered.

" It's called Morgan's speedway." Nick explained.

" How do you know that? And what is it again, Morgan's freeway?" Sam asked.

" Sounds like something on the subway." Andrew murmured, climbing carefully down the tree.

"Morgan's Speedway, you mud head. It's the speedway of Morgan Le Fay's portals. Camille told me that, by the ways."

" Morgan Le Fay?" I asked.

" A sorceress. I'm guessing." He added hastily, " I think she was Merlin's good sister. Or dreadful Elaine's younger sister. That's what Camille said."

" Dreadful ELAINE?" Andrew asked.

Nick shrugged.

" How, again, does Camille know this?"

" I-I don't know at all."

" So then, would she know where exactly we are?"

Nick shook his head.

But Sam laughed, his perplexity mixed inside the laugh.

" Look, you all should know where we are. Look around you. Taj Mahal! We're in India!" Sam exclaimed.

" INDIA?" Vanessa gaped,

" Well, you should know, I've only been here once." (Bad idea Sam.)

Andrew, Nick, and I sighed as Vanessa went off like a steam engine for the fifth time in the day.

" How'd we get all the way to India?"

" I dunno. But we ARE here and we might as well take a look around." Nick said.

" Ooh! There's a bazaar down the block. We can go there." Vanessa suggested.

" There's a city there. We'll never find a bazaar."

" I thought you knew everything about India already! I KNOW where the bazaar is and WE ARE GOING."

" Okay, okay… sorry."

…

C  
hapter Six

Hope of the Sapphire

" I hope you know where you're going Vanessa." (Vanessa barely screams at me, so its safe for me to say that.

" Don't worry. I know perfectly well where I'm going. As Sam pointed out, I've been here more than anyone else." Vanessa assured.

" This is Agra right?" Sam asked.

" Yes. Oh wait! There it is! I found it. Next to Shah Jehan Park."

" Shah Jehan- have I ever told you I don't know how to read Indian?" Sam informed.

" It's right THERE you block head. I hope you even know what a bazaar is."

" Isn't it, like, a circus or something?"

" Even I know what a bazaar is Sam."

" Well… it's a store. Flea market." Vanessa explained. Miraculously, she didn't scream in agony again.

" OH, cool."

"Oh my goodness! They're selling Batas!" I screamed. Mum and Dad brought me back a whole stack of those Indian brand shoes. They are so pretty and exotic.

" Can we? Can we? Can we?" Vanessa asked, both of us jumping up and down like Roo from Winnie the Poo.

" Umm… that's not why we're here." Andrew said, a matter-of-factly.

" Lets go!" Sam pleaded before Vanessa could say anything.

I sighed in relief.

The sun was hot, and there were people everywhere. This is why we shouldn't find out about portals in tourist season. The market was huge and stretched for two whole blocks. Merchants were squirming everywhere possible and the camels were walking around.

Vanessa came up to me with a pair of sandals.

" Look! Aren't these so pretty?"

" Huh. Oh yeah. What in the world is Sam doing?"

Sam was breathing heavily and slouched over.

" Oh my gosh, Sam what's wrong?" Vanessa asked.

" Is he sick? Did he eat anything?" Nick asked.

" No." Andrew said," He didn't touch a thing."

" Sam?" I asked.

" What's wrong."

" He's here. I just saw him."

" Who?"

" Him."

Sam pointed to a merchant in a silk green robe that was behind the jewelry store.

" Who exactly IS he?" Vanessa asked.

Nick went starch white.

" You too? What are you scared of that man for?" Vanessa inquired.

Nick shook his head and backed away.

My stomach felt queasy. Andrew started to look pale too.

" Why do you all look so sick?"

" It's the sorcerer." Nick gasped.

Vanessa now looked paler than any of them.

Sam said " And look what he's selling."

I gasped.

" A sapphire. Why do I get a bad feeling about that?"

" Because it's the hope sapphire." Before any one could stop him, Sam got up and ran for the merchant.

" Sam, NO! Get BACK here! SAAAM!" Vanessa ran after him.

Andrew shook his head as I followed.

_Why in the world did Sam run like that? _

Vanessa and me tried pulling Sam back, but he broke free and shoved a million of people away to get into the line.

" Sam- that lady. She just took it!" Vanessa screamed.

" Oh. My. Gosh. No. Sam." I groaned. Sam snatched the sapphire from the lady-and she was an old lady-and started running.

" Get HIM!" A man cried.

"Oh no. What's gotten into him? First he doesn't want to come- now he's trying to help too much." Vanessa muttered, as the both of us ran after Sam.

We soon got to where Andrew and Nick were and they looked utterly puzzled.

" RUN!" I screamed.

Andrew and Nick followed Sam and us until we reached a dead end in a dark alley (is that not where everyone gets stuck?)

" Sam, see what you've gotten us into? We could have got the sapphire in a more quiet way, you know." Vanessa hissed.

" Hey, would we have done if the lady bought it?" Sam asked.

" Good point. But, you see. We are in trouble and there are like, fifteen million people trying to get the sapphire back." I explained, as the mob of people surrounded us.

Sam bit his lip.

" I hope there's a way out of here."

The box in which the Sapphire was in started to glow. Andrew gasped.

" Hey, what is this?" He asked, feeling for something on the door.

"  
Whatever it is… turn it!" I shrieked.

The door moved and they all ran out of it. The people following them turned confused.

" Keep running!" Vanessa yelled.

All of us ran into the castle and stared blankly at the huge stories of staircases.

" There's so much stairs." Nick groaned.

" Just run!" I screamed. We ran all the way up the stairs and the people in there stared at us in alarm. We swiveled around statues and plants and down a hallway.

Vanessa found a broom closet and pulled us in there.

We heard the mob of angry people shouting a few feet away.

" Ouch." I muttered, as someone's foot stomped on mine.

" Sorry." Sam whispered.

…

" Are they GONE yet?" Andrew hissed.

" Yeah I think so." Nick replied.

" That was so awesome Sam." I started.

" Huh?"

" Remember at the alley, Sam was like: I hope there's a way out of here, and all of the sudden, a door appears! That means you've earned the Sapphire! You can keep it!"

" Not just that," Nick said, " If he earned it, that means he gets it."

" What do you mean?" Sam asked.

" He has the power of wishes and hope." Nick said, " You can grant any wish as long as it's what you really need."

" I wish-"

" Not NOW Sam!"

" That's so cool. Hey, can we get outta here? Vanessa, that's my foot, you dooshpuddle." I yelled.

" Saaaauuurr-rrry!" Vanessa drawled back.

Andrew opened the door and looked both ways.

" All clear." He informed.

" Okay then move!" Vanessa screeched.

" Hey, so what'd we do now?" Sam asked.

" Good question, Nick, does Camille know anything that can help us through that predicament?" I asked.

…

Chapter Seven

The Lady of the Lakes

I threw a stone to the Yamuna River. Just to save you a trip to the encyclopedia, it's that river you see in front of the Taj Mahal, where everyone is walking along its shores.

" So, there's one thing Camille doesn't know that can help us." Andrew muttered.

" What exactly are we gonna do?" Vanessa asked, shrilly. Sam scooted a few feet away from her. I think he's got the screaming cautions down. I give him an A+.

" I don't know." Nick replied.

We stood there a while in silence. It soon began to get dark.

Then there was a splash in the distance.

Andrew and Sam woke up with a start.

Nick jumped to his feet.

" Is that a-"

Gradually, a sword cut out of the water.

Vanessa shrieked.

" Be Quiet!" I whispered.

" It can't be." Nick whispered, walking back a few feet.

"What? What? What is that?" I gasped.

Nick made no reply.

Slowly, a hand appeared with the sword, then an arm covered in a silk cloth, then a head of someone with pitch-black hair. Finally, a lady's head popped up of the river. My teeth are chattering here!

Vanessa hid behind me, crying silently as Sam held on the box with the sapphire as tightly as he could. Nick kept sliding back as slowly as the lady coming out of the water.

So suddenly, the lady's body began to slink out of the water and then, so suddenly, the lady gripped Vanessa and my feet and pulled us in the water.

Nick, Sam, and Andrew started yelling from above.

I don't know what's supposed to happen now. I do NOT know how to swim! Vanessa started tugging and pulling, but none of us could get her grip off our feet. I can NOT hold my breath anymore. I had to breathe. And I did.

…

" Katie! KATIE dear, it's okay, wake up!" A voice sung in my ear.

I gasped and coughed and sputtered.

"I- what- where's Vanessa? Is this a dream? I'm I awake now? Mom?" I knew it wasn't mom. The voice sounded much more starchy.

" No, dear, not a dream. And I'm not your blessed mother."

I opened my eyes cautiously. I blinked once or twice and stared right into the silver eyes of the lady that dragged us down to the river.

I jumped to my feet as fast as lightning.

" Who are you? Why did you bring us here? Where's Vanessa?" I screamed.

The lady gave me a watery smile. She had the silkiest water-like hair you ever saw. It was like ink flowing on her head. Her skin was like moonbeams, and so pale it was like light coming from her. Her eyes were the strangest, with the silver pupils and blue outlining in the background. Her cloak was maroon and her lips were the same color. She was like an alien.

" Calm down Katie. I'm Elaine of the lakes. I live in the lakes and I am the protector of the Mermaids of the Crater. Don't worry about who I am at the moment. Your friend Vanessa is at the moon temple in the water, talking to the head mermaid.

" What-Mermaid?" I asked. I remembered Nick saying something about dreadful Elaine. I'm not about to trust her so fast. What if she's dangerous?

" Why don't you go ahead and join her?"

"  
Um… sure… thank you." I called, staggering back quickly. I turned around and started walking to the building Elaine pointed to. The place was like a dome. And it looked so tranquil and peaceful. There was a bright cerulean lake the dome surrounded. In the middle of the water the was a beautiful white crystal temple-like building opening to marble-like stepping stones coming out of it to the shore.

I hesitantly stepped onto one of the stepping stones. I heard a soft flip of the water. I turned around and screamed, falling into the water.

I flailed back up and grabbed the stone as hard as I could.

I looked back up.

There was a lady with curly water-like hair the same color as the lake with faint pink lips and creamy white (like Reddiwhip) skin. She stared at me like I stared at her.

I sputtered.

" What ARE you?" I screamed, hanging on to the stone for dear life.

" I'm but of course a mermaid. What are YOU?"

" I'm a girl." _Duh._

The mermaid gasped and dived back into the water.

Is she like scared of me or something? I was about to fall into the water.

All of the sudden, two or three of the same kinds of mermaids floated up to where I was.

" Do you need help, fair maiden?" An olive-haired asked.

Um, yeah, can't you SEE?

" Oh, thank you, yes." I murmured my hand about to slip.

A cream pink haired mermaid lifted her ribbon-clad hand out of the water.

"Levantantra corpal aquamus." She sung her voice like silk.

I rose up from the water and was set down on the stone.

Whoa! That was so awesome. Mermaid Magic! I wish I could do that.

" Thank you!" I said, my teeth chattering.

" Katie? I presume?" The cerulean mermaid asked.

" Yeah." I wonder how everyone knows my name?

" Welcome, Katie, to Dozmary pool." She sung.

"Dozmary Pool? In Great Britain?" I asked.

"Yes, human maiden." The pink mermaid answered.

" How did she get me from Yamuna River in India to Dozmary Pool in Great Britain?" I asked.

The olive mermaid grinned.

" The lakes, oceans, rivers, waterfalls all have ways to get to one another. Lady Elaine knows how to get to all of them. Ever heard of the Krakatoa?" She asked.

" Krakatoa?" I asked.

" Yes. It is the place where mermaids are never allowed to go. It is the most dangerous part of the ¾ of the world. It is where you have to go with your friend."

" HUH?!" I inquired, frightened out of my skirt.

" Elaine brought you two here for that reason. She said something you need is there. We wish you luck fair maiden of the Homo sapiens."

The mermaids splashed away before I could say anything.

I felt my back pocket. My heart stopped.

" It's GONE!" I screamed, running across the stepping stones and in to the temple. Vanessa was there, talking to someone outside the balcony of the temple.

" VANESSA!" I hollered.

Vanessa turned around, her face unnaturally calm.

" HI! Katie! Oh, you're okay! I knew I could trust Elaine! Isn't this so awesome? I'm talking to the head of Mermaids! Isn't that so cool?"

" Vanessa! I lost the wand!"

" You brought it here? I thought it looked familiar."

" Is it this then?" A deep voice of a male inquired from below the balcony.

I rushed to the edge of the balcony. A merman king!

He handed me the wand.

" It fell out of your pocket when you fell off the stepping stone. Seleste found it and gave it to me a few seconds ago." The merman said.

" OH! Thank you! Thank you so much, your majesty. Who exactly is Seleste?" I asked.

" ME!" The cerulean mermaid piped up jumping out of the water.

" She is my daughter." The king said, " The only mermaid who can change from a mermaid to a human. She is truly gifted."

" Thanks Dad. But does SHE know?" Seleste whispered loudly.

" OH, she will. I thought you told her already?"

" Nope. I only told her what she has to do. Wait. I'm going to turn to a human so it's easier to talk to tell them." Seleste lifted her fin, which immediately turned into feet and her hair turned soft and silky blue. She walked on the water and up to the balcony. Her blue fin turned to denim jeans and her mermaid tank turned to a bright blue shirt. The ribbons slipped from her hands to her hair, making a bandanna.

" That is so cool." Vanessa said. I nodded.

" Thank you. Okay. Elaine brought you here to get the thing she wants you to get from the Lake of Krakatoa. She doesn't want any mermaid but me, since I can turn human, to go there with you. She says that what is there is going to help you for something. That's all I know. And she wants us to go now." Seleste explained.

" Now? To the most dangerous place in the ¾ of the world?" I demanded.

" With only three people? Nuh-uh! Why?" Vanessa asked.

" Because something is very important that you need there. And if you don't go now, you never can, because the waterfall to get there is finally closing. If we don't start now, you can never ever finish what you have to finish. Don't ask me too much. Elaine just told me to tell you that.

" Finish what we started to do Vanessa. Maybe we should. But what about Sam and Nick and Andrew? Where are they?" I asked.

" I don't know. I think they're still at Yamuna. But, then I guess we have to go now. Okay, Seleste, lead us to the Krakajackal!" Vanessa exclaimed.

" Krakatoa you blast-head."

…

Chapter Eight

The Water Pearls

" Um, it's right here. The waterfall is also the –um-most dangerous-in the um, ¾ of the world." Seleste stammered as we came face to face with the scariest looking waterfall.

"Okay then, through the waterfall now." She said.

" THROUGH?" Vanessa and I bellowed.

Seleste nodded.

" You have to go through a waterfall to get to the portal in the back."

If I didn't faint right there I probably would have after I went through the raging waterfall in front of me.

"You have a wand, right?" Seleste asked.

" Yes. Here it is." I said, pulling it out.

" Oh, what a beautiful wand! It looks exactly like Merlin's! What's it made of?" She asked me. I shrugged.

" Looks like it has a Half a cup of Unicorn Hair!" she laughed and shook her head, " Okay, Say open sesame please."

" Open Sesame." I chanted, pointing my wand to the waterfall. Nothing happened.

" Um… OPEN SESAME? OPEN SESAAAAMMEE? Open Sesame. Please open Sesame? NO it's not working, Seleste." I informed.

" I keeps slipping from your hand. Don't let go of it this time, maybe it'll work?" Vanessa suggested.

Someone seriously put a brain inside of her head before she got here.

" Ahem. OPEN SESAME!" I shouted.

The shore started to rumble and the lake started to quiver. The waterfall opened a crack in the middle.

" Yes! Hurry get in you two!" Seleste cried. The three of us ran into the waterfall. As we ran deeper, the water behind us fell back to its place.

Finally we came to a dead end.

" Look! There's the portal! Get in it!" Vanessa shrieked. We all dived in the portal before the water flooded us.

It was much shorter this time in the portal than last time. We just got in when we came back out with a splash.

Luckily, the water was very thin.

" This is why mermaids can't come here. The erupting volcano 'Krakatoa' is too hot for the mermaids to live and the water is too thin." Seleste explained.

" Is that why it's so dangerous? The Volcano and water?" I asked.

" No. It's because of the sea witch that lives here. She will kill you in a heartbeat. That's why it's only safer to come here if you're human. And even then your in danger of the volcano and if you're in the water."

" Oh my goodness! We are in the water! Hey, is it just me, or is the water rising up?" Vanessa pointed out, suddenly.

" Oh no! She's here!" Seleste cried.

" And he's here too." I muttered. Vanessa gasped.

" If you mean the sorcerer who tried to get the gems?" Seleste asked.

Vanessa and I nodded.

" How do you know?"

" Because. The water turned black and I don't know. I just feel it in the water."

" You talk like a mermaid, Katie." Vanessa said.

" I know it sounds like it. But he's here. Now I know what Elaine meant. Before I didn't trust her because Nick said something about dreadful Elaine. She wants us to find one of the Gems that can help us. Sam already found the first of the Allistics, The Hope Sapphire. Now we're looking for the water pearls. I know we are. There are two."

" It does make sense Kate."

" Its make sense, Kate. How adorable. Babies. Human babies!" A voice cackled behind us.

" I'm not a human! I'm a mermaid. Where are you Morgause?" Seleste demanded.

" I'm here you simple minded mermaid. Where's Triden, Princess, or has he forgot our deal? Before the waterfall closes, he must get here to retrieve his pearls or never get them back at all. So he sent you rascals. Where's my sister Elaine?" The grumbling voice of Morgause shrieked.

" Her SISTER Elaine?" I demanded. Seleste nodded.

" DON'T YOU REMEMBER THAT SHE DOES NOT TRY SORCERERY ANYMORE? DO YOU NOT EVEN KNOW THAT, LIVING IN YOUR WRETCHED ISLAND? AND YES, YOU HAVE JUST GOT THE PEARLS BACK NOW, FROM YOUR FRIEND, WHOEVER HE IS. DO YOU CARE TO GIVE THEM BACK AT ALL?" Seleste bellowed.

" NO I don't young lady. Did you know they have excellent powers? Even if he couldn't control these pearls, I can. I know much more sorcery than he does. That's why he gave the pearls to me and not your wretched KING!"

" My father is not evil-that's why HE WHOEVER HE IS DOESN'T HAVE THE NERVE TO COME NEAR HIM!"

" MERMAID!" The voice gasped. A disgusting blob of a lady came out of the waves and started a whirlpool where we were standing.

" Levantantra corpal aquamus!" I shrieked, pointing my wand at the witch.

The witch floated up in the air.

" How do you know mermish?" Seleste asked.

" It's a long story." I replied.

" Well that's a good idea. You two go and find the pearls in her liar in the volcano. You just gave me an idea."

I put my wand down, and Seleste took over. Vanessa and I ran up to the shore and towards the volcano.

…

We found the door into the volcano. The inside of it was filled with gold and silver and pearls.

" Which one is which?" Vanessa asked.

" The one that can make water out of something else." A voice said.

We turned around and looked at the middle of the volcano. An electric eel was talking to us!

" Whatever one that can make the lava water!" I suggested. The eel nodded.

"Which one is THAT? We only have a few minutes. And we need to find 2 out of a thousand of pearls that turn lava into water." Vanessa groaned.

" The pearl of water is from with the depths of your soul. It is in within the depths of your heart. You are the two who have earned it. You are the two that shall get it." The eel said. And then it disappeared.

" What? It is in the depths of our soul-"

" In the depths of our heart-"

" We are the two that have earned it-"

" We are the two that shall get it."

Something burst out of the pile of pearls.

" We did it! Oh, I feel so powerful!" Vanessa exclaimed, as the pearls flew into our hands.

There was a rumble.

" Oh no. The volcano." I started

" We have to get out." Vanessa shrieked, heading for the door. She tried to open it.

" It's locked." She called, frantically.

" The pearls! It can make the lava turn into water!" I gasped.

" But how?" Vanessa asked.

Ribbons grew on our hands.

" That's how!" I replied.

We held the ribbons out to the volcano.

The ribbons burst into water and once it touched the lava, there was a bang! The lava turned bright blue and then to water.

The head of the volcano then blew off.

Seleste ran towards us.

" Awesome you two, awesome! And look! The waterfall's closing. We have to get back or we'll be stuck here forever!" Seleste exclaimed.

Then, something so strange happened.

A portal came to us.

" Do we jump?" Vanessa asked.

" Wherever we land, it HAS to be better than here. Come on!" Seleste beckoned. In we jumped.

There was a cloud of purple dust. A lady in white was floating next to us in the portal.

" Morgan!" Seleste cried, grinning.

" Morgan Le Fay?" I asked.

" The one and only. You're friend Nick called me to take you back to them. And Seleste, dear. My dear sister Elaine is calling for you to come. Here's your portal, child." Morgan Le Fay said, warmly. A bright blue portal was coming to Seleste.

" Bye Seleste! Thanks for everything!" Vanessa and I called. Seleste waved and was gone in a flash.

" And now you two. Hurry and get into that green one. See you some other time. If you need me, I'll be here. Bye!"

Her voice was cut off as we slipped into the green portal.

We came out of the portal in the banks of Yamuna.

"Where in Shiva's name have you two been?" Came Andrew's voice.

"Um… saving the water pearls? We got them, see?" I asked, holding out the pearls.

Sam and Nick were staring at the two pearls.

" Let me see you do something with these." Nick said, " Just to make sure."

Vanessa and I stuck out our hands. Water shot out and hit him in the face.

" Okay, okay. PPPHT-TOOOIIE! So that means we just need one more before we should get to London."

" Don't you mean two?" Vanessa asked.

" No. Nick found the Illusionment diamond when Sam wished you guys would come back. Nick was like Hey, look what I found! A Diamond! And then the diamond dissolved in his hand and Morgan Le Fay turned up. Then we asked her to get you. She said okay, but next time Nick could make a portal himself, and she left to get you guys." Sam explained.

" So 3 down, 2 to go?" I asked.

…

C

hapter Nine

Avalon's Fire

" So, where should we go next, Morgan?" Nick asked his Diamond.

We are at a hotel next to Uttar Pradesh, India. And Nick is trying desperately to get in touch with Morgan Le Fay. Andrew is sleeping and Vanessa, Sam and I are ordering so much food. We think that if we eat, or powers will grow. You never know. It could happen.

" I don't eat pepperoni." Vanessa groaned, as she took a bite of pineapple pizza (yuck).

" I need some Subway. I wonder if they have Subway in India. I'm 'bout to ask." I got up and called service.

" Hello, yeah, room 209. Do you have Subway? Oh, good. Um, I want Chicken Teriyaki, and Vanessa? Yeah that's two Chicken Teriyaki, Sam what'd you want? Okay, he wants more Pizza. And Nick, Andrew? Okay Andrew would probably want a sub with chicken. I don't know. Give him something with chicken. Nick? NICK? No, he doesn't want anything. Okay thank you. Bye." I hung up the telephone.

Sam bounced up and down with delight.

Vanessa frowned.

" Sam, you're lucky Katie carries 6o dollars in her skirt pocket." Vanessa muttered.

" Yeah. I'm beginning to love rupees." I murmured.

Andrew snorted and bounced up.

" Hey Katie, ask the service to get me something with chicken-"

" I did. Be quiet. Nick is trying to get Morgan."

Nick looked up.

" Whose phone is that?" Sam asked, as a phone began to ring.

" That's mine." Nick stammered, taking it from out of his pocket.

" Hullo? Um hi Camille. Where am I? Yes. Um not so loud, my ear, Camille. Yeah, I guess. Um, no they're with me. Yeah, they found almost-yeah. No. Camille, really, I don't think-okay then, I'm still doing it. Okay, bye." Nick stared at the phone.

" Nick?" Sam asked. He snapped back to life with a start.

" Did she say anything that would help us get to Avalon?" Vanessa asked.

Nick shook his head.

" But she said we should keep trying. Lizzy isn't back yet."

" How does she know what we're doing? And how does she know where we are?" I asked, curiously.

"Um, I have no clue. I don't know about Camille sometimes. She confuses me and sometimes she's so different I can't believe she's my cousin." Nick replied, sitting back with the diamond.

The doorbell rang.

" Ah, food at last!" Sam shrieked.

The waiter came in and set the food in the room. I paid him and he left. Gee, I feel really old paying people. I also feel really old thinking 'gee'.

I took the sub and started eating it.

" Oh, they put fortune cookies in here!" Vanessa pointed out in the middle of her sub.

" Don't talk with your mouth full." I warned as I chewed.

" Uh, speak for yourself, mum." Sam retorted.

Nick slid down and unwrapped a fortune cookie.

" Uh, the thing you're looking for will be found. Okay then, that's cool. Katie, open this one. I'm not hungry."

I took the fortune cookie and began to open it. Then, I got confused. The piece of paper was too big. I cracked the cookie open and gasped.

" What? Did you find a spider in there?" Sam asked. My mouth was so stuffed with half the footlong, I had to jump up and down and shake my feet and hands to the paper.

" Are you have a seizure? Should I call the ambulance? I knew we shouldn't have let her eat Chicken Teriyaki!" Andrew screamed.

I ran to the window and spit the foot out my mouth. I hope it didn't land on anyone.

I ran back and yelled,

" The paper! It's a map! Of Europe! A Magic Map! Will you look at it?"

Andrew took the paper and stared at it.

" And it says to: Nick. It's a map of Britain."

Nick snatched it from him.

" It's from Morgan, you doosh-fountain. She told me before that if someone, who has the power of illusion, if you know where you're going, all you have to do is say I wish we could go there. But I just can't find out where. But she sent this to me! Okay, she put stars in two places. Buckingham Palace and the Avalon Palace. Since we have to go to Buckingham Palace last, I'm guessing we go there first. Okay everyone, get your stuff. We're leaving!" Nick pointed to the star in the map.

" I wish we could go to Avalon."

A white portal appeared and zapped them in as quick as Sam could eat a 2-feet long sub.

…

"Ouch. Nick, couldn't you get us a softer landing?" Vanessa demanded.

" Seeing that we landed on a roof of a castle, no." Nick replied.

Andrew and I groaned when we looked down from all the way up in the rooftop of what looked like the highest tower. There was such a long way down to the ground.

I gripped Nick's collar and shook him, violently.

" Why on the roof? Why on the roof? Why on the roof? Why?"

" Calm down Katie. There are stairs." Sam pointed out. He was trying hard not to look down. Vanessa snorted.

" You guys are stupid. It's just heights. I mean-oh-that's a long way down."

Sam, Andrew and I nodded fervently and we heaved down the stairs.

Finally, we got down to the ground.

" Where are we exactly?" Andrew asked.

" Avalon."

" Avalon? Where's that?"

"  
It's in Europe. It's Lady Guenville and Merlin's birthplace. There is a story about a Dragon's Fire and hoard that's supposed to be on Avalon's highest mountain. No one could get up there but Sir Ector, the stepfather of King Arthur, who brought his daughter in law, Lady Guenville to light the fire of Avalon near the Dragon's hoard and take a apple from the tree of life."

" I bet Camille taught you this when you were, like, two years old." Vanessa muttered.

" I bet she did." Lewis muttered back.

I fell down from being so dizzy. Heights discourage me.

Avalon's Palace was huge and was capped with red and white peaks at the top. Surrounding it was a large wood with weeping willows and pine and no other kinds of trees. There were so many doors and chambers and windows and the castle was so tall, it seemed to touch the sun exactly above it.

Andrew started snoring. I smacked him in the face.

" What? Why are you so sleepy? I heard you SNORE from my room yesterday! Your room is like, at the opposite end of the hall!"

" Well, I'm sorry Ms. Enlarged Duck-"

" WHAT? WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"  
" No, no, an enlarged duck!" I turned around so fast I cracked a bone. There was something flying towards that looked like a flying lion.

" What are you- what- that's not a duck, you bafoonic baboon, that's a- that's a-"

" Um, Katie. Be quiet." Andrew whispered. I looked around quickly and saw that Vanessa had stopped jabbering and Sam was cowering like a mouse behind her and Nick's jaw was dropped and his eyes goggled.

" What?" Vanessa squeaked.

" Griffin."

I didn't see Nick's mouth move.

" It's a Griffin." Andrew repeated, his voice sounding distant.

" Griffin? Those lions that can-" I started flapping my hands to show flying. I know. I'm going absolutely lunatic.

Andrew raved on, obviously not listening.

" I saw a Griffin in my dream. And they… they're not as bad…"

Nick turned around sharply.

" What'd you mean they're not AS bad?" He demanded.

" I mean, you know, they're good creatures."

" Are you off your peppermint sticks? Griffins are EVIL. They're no good."

" Yes, they are. I had a dream that the Griffin saved-"

" But that's a dream!" Nick shrieked.

" I believe my dream, Nick."

Sam gave Vanessa and me a look. Vanessa shrugged.

" Guys, okay, good or bad, does it really make a difference?" I asked.

" YES!" Andrew screamed.

Nick shook his head. I glanced helplessly as the two stomped away in opposite directions.

" Oh my gosh! GUYS! Get back here! Andrew? Nick?" Sam called after them.

Vanessa gave me a worried stare.

" What are we going to do?" She wailed.

" Follow them! What else?" I replied.

" HOW? They're GONE!"

" They must be going to the mountains."

I started for my brother. Vanessa called after me,

" What are WE supposed to do?"

" Follow Nick. Duh." I replied coldly.

Vanessa looked hurt.

Sorry, but I need to follow my twin.

" Hey! Hey Katie! Wait! Wait for me!" Sam called, obviously trying to walk away from Vanessa before she started yelling.

" Oh! No! Don't leave me here ALOOONE!" Vanessa cried.

" Sam, just go with her. I can go by myself." I demanded, walking on.

Sam stopped following and frowned.

" We can't let anyone go alone." He said.

I stopped; beginning to get scared of the dragon that was going to be up at the top.

Vanessa ran to Sam and me.

" Yeah. Let's go your way, Katie."

" No. Someone needs to find-"

" Come on Katie." Vanessa pressed on.

" To be fair, we could go the other way." Sam suggested.

" And where exactly is that?" I asked.

Sam pointed up to the mountain behind the castle, behind and above the castle. Above the Sun.

The other mountains looked much shorter, but, to be fair?

" Okay then. Come on. But hurry. You don't know where they could be by now."

…

" I can't go on much- longer! Eh!"

" Sam, seriously." Vanessa retorted.

I shook my head.

" Hurry! We're almost there."

" We have the WHOLE HALF A MOUNTAIN TO GO! WE"VE BEEN AT THIS FOR HOOOUUURS!" Sam drawled.

" 5 hours." Vanessa corrected, glancing at her watch.  
" Then why don't you two stay up here while I go up all alone to fetch my twin brother like we were supposed to?" I stated in the best Angry-Vanessa look I could manage.

" NO, NO, WE'RE FIIINE!" Sam assured, cautiously.

I rolled my eyes. " You're right. We cant. They are probably with the dragon, all by themselves right now."

Sam started crying.

" SAAAAAAAAAM?" I asked, rolling my eyes a second time. A boy crying is not usually going to happen. I know I'm being really mean right now. But seriously, if anything happens to Andrew.

There was a great flap of wings overhead.

" Uh no." Vanessa murmured, hiding behind the still sobbing Sam. Sam jumped behind me. The griffin was staring down at us. We were so busy looking at the eagle- like claws we didn't notice who was sitting on the griffin.

" Hey guys, need a ride?" Came a voice.

" Andrew?"

" Yes, your very brave brother, dear." Another voice called.

" Everyone, meet Lady Guinevere."

" She's still LIVING?" Vanessa whispered.

" No child, I am a ghost. A spirit." Guinevere answered.

Sam began to sob louder.

" Will someone please make him stop?" Vanessa demanded.

" Lady Guinevere? The ghost of-" I tried not to, but I had to shiver. I still didn't see her face.

" It's all right dear, come on. We've got your friend to free."

"Friend to- NICK?" Sam asked, quitting his tears in shock.

" He didn't listen to me. He didn't want to trust me. He didn't know that Lady was on Guinevere this griffin." Andrew began. I began to climb up the edge of the cliff where the griffin was flapping.

" What in pig sausage are you DOING?" Vanessa demanded, as Sam came after me.

" We're going to get Nick, Vanessa." Sam called.

Vanessa groaned.

" Can he come closer?" She asked.

Then the griffin spoke.

" No child, you must brave your fears to get on a griffin, because the symbolism of a griffin means courage."

Sam nearly fell off the cliff.

" He-he he TALKED!" He shrieked.

" Why yes, for he is Sir Ector, the spirit of Sir Ector.

" Sir Ector?" I asked as Sam hesitantly sat up on Sir Ector.

" It's a long story. But first you must save your friend, for the dragon is coming." Guinevere reminded, in the most angel-like voice.

I prayed so fast as I reached for the Sam and Andrew's hands. I jumped over and sat down. The back of a griffin is much better than a horse's.

Vanessa went white, the color somehow clashing with the color of the sun setting behind her.

" Come On!" Sam beckoned, putting out his hands.

Vanessa screamed, caught Sam's hand and landed right behind me.

Sam shook his hand.

" I think you twisted it." He wailed.

" Um, excuse me your highnesses, but can we go before he starts to cry again?" I pleaded.

Guinevere grinned, the same moonbeam fingers that Elaine had, caressing the griffin's head. Sir Ector began again to flap his wings.

For the first time, I wasn't scared of heights, just a dragon.

Finally, we landed on top of the mountain.

Three solid coal-colored caves, which one is the dragon's?

"Um, Queen Guinevere -"

"Guinevere just, my dear."

" Yeah, which cave?"

" The one your brother wants." She replied, as Andrew slid off.

That was strange, why?

" Don't think I can't do anything Katie." Andrew called.

We all slid off and came after him.

" Do you smell something?" Vanessa gasped. Everyone stared at her.

" It's this one." Andrew said, pointing to the right fork.

" Correct. The cave of the apple wood." Sir Ector said.

" Cave of the-" Sam began.

" Apple wood. Where we both died."

I shivered.

" Okay, let's go." Andrew started.

We all paraded after Andrew, but suddenly, Guinevere stopped them.

" No. Only Andrew."

Andrew glanced at Vanessa, Sam and me.

" Here Katie, you can't go with him. Let me tell you the story before anything. The person who poisoned us the one who stole all the gems. And Sir, may I?" Guinevere asked Sir Ector. Sir Ector "bowed".

" The one who caused the poison to be put into the apples I ate and Sir Ector ate, is none other than Kay. Sir Ector's second son Kay wanted the kingdom for himself. Elaine was told that she was to murder the King, my husband. But when she refused, he got angry and with his wretched dragon he came up and poisoned all the apples before we got here, so King Arthur was lead to believe that I was running away with Sir Lancelot and took blesses father with me. When he heard that after Arthur, Merlin would become King, he was outraged, for he was supposed to be the next King. So one day after Arthur died, he ordered a skill sorceress named Morguase to murder him using the poisoned juice of the rubies and setting the mixture on the dangerous hearth of Fire Opals. The dangerous venom worked and next thing you know Kay's the King AND he's immortal." Guinevere explained.

I was almost in tears. That someone's own brother could possibly do that.

" Okay. Andrew, you have to go." I hugged my twin and he left.

…

" Why isn't he back yet? Why exactly couldn't I have gone with him?"

" I've told you this a million times, child, he is destined to. The fire opal of the Griffin brings him there." Guinevere told me.

" Wait- is that a roar?" Sam asked.

The next thing you knew, Nick and Andrew came running out smiles on their faces.

" What- is the dragon-" Vanessa stammered.  
" Killed." Nick said happily.

" And what's that-" I asked, pointing to the glowing orange gem in Andrew's hand.

" The fire opal. Hey Andrew, I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. But, well there's a-"

" Hey, where is Guinevere and Sir Ector?" Sam asked.

We all turned around.

Nick turned pale.

" Who?"

" No time to explain. But Sir Ector told me before he left to go to the Buckingham Ball as fast as we can." Sam informed.

Nick hastily pulled out the map.

He pointed to Buckingham Palace in England.

" I wish we could go there."

…

Chapter Ten

Buckingham Ball

" Nick, where are we?" Vanessa demanded.

" Um…not Buckingham Palace." He replied.

" Then, where are we?"

" Um… Edinburg." I said, pointing slowly to the sign that said, " Welcome to Edinburg".

" Oh no, the map is frozen. The portals are frozen!" Nick exclaimed.

" Ugh what are we going to do? Maybe we can hitch hike? Sam suggested.

" Oh wait! There's a bus- a Double Decker!" Vanessa pointed out, pointing to a maroon colored bus riding towards us.

Nick waved his hands. The bus stopped so fast it jumped a little.

The doors slid open and everyone entered.

We sat down on the blue-cushioned seats and the bus started. There was absolutely no one on the bus.

" Where to?" The driver asked.

" Buckingham Palace." Andrew called.

After a half an hours ride, we stopped, not in front of the Palace, but in front of a Mall.

" Um…Bus Driver Lady, this is a mall, not Buckingham Palace." I started.

" Oh, sorry. But, seriously, how are we going to go into a ball with those muddy clothes?" The mysterious voice replied.

Vanessa fell off her seat.

A laugh came from the voice.

" I knew you would do that Vanessa." The voice muttered.

Vanessa began to laugh and cry at the same time.

We stared at her for a second.

" It's Adeline, smart people." The voice replied, getting out of her seat.

" Adeline, Vanessa's sister-Adeline?" Andrew asked.

" Yeah, but seriously, you guys should've seen that coming." Adeline's voice laughed kindly, her shadow creeping up from the dark.

Adeline had pin-straight her to her neck and looked completely Far Eastern. Her eyes were caramel and her stare completely identical to Vanessa's.

" Why-how-" Sam began.

" Okay, Lizzy found out you were gone, so she said since she already tried what you guys are trying to do, she cant come and help you. Then she had a brain spark or something and she asked me that if I could come and help you guys get to Buckingham because Morgan's Speedway is closed. So I said okay, because Lizzy has told me this about a hundred times. So here I am. And she said to hurry because he is almost there. So I suggest you get some ball clothes and get back in this bus. And Vanessa could you get me something blue?" Adeline asked, as she handed her a bag of British pounds.

Vanessa stared at the gold coins and followed Andrew off the bus.

" Thanks Adeline!" I called.

Adeline smiled at me.

" You need all the help you can get. Cause if Kay gets his hands on the ruby, he's going to have to kill someone dear to him." Adeline sighed, " That's how my great-aunt died. But he didn't kill her because he knew her, just because she tried getting back the gems that she and your grandmother made."

She turned around and disappeared to the bus.

I stood there a while when Nick came back outside the mall and dragged me in. The mall was large and the walls were painted green and the tiles were bright yellows. Lights shone after every, and the dresses and suits shone even brighter and caused the room to shine through the cloudy, damp atmosphere of London outside.

I roamed around with Vanessa wondering about what Adeline said and how her great-aunt and my grandmother died doing this.

Suddenly Vanessa shrieked at a dress and pointed excitedly at me.

I looked at her confused.

" What?"

I turned around and started strangely at the sapphire silk dress in front of me. It had a transparent puffed cerulean skirt and a sapphire top with pearls and violet roses on the side.

" Oh, that's so pretty." I commented.

Vanessa snatched it from the display.

" Is there a green one of this? Oh I found a red AND green. Look they're done, too. Let's go, and hurry."

…

" I'm scared." Sam wailed.

" Oh shut up before Vanessa starts screaming," Andrew whispered.

" Well, Addy, open the door." Vanessa beckoned.

Adeline opened the back door of Buckingham Palace as quietly as she could.

" Be quiet. Come on."

The interior of the Palace was enormous and once you stepped in there was a red cheery atmosphere waiting for you. After we walked a while, there was a great staircase filled with thousands of people.

Later we got close to a huge populated hall that led to an angry sounding crowd in what seemed to be the largest room in the building.

" Isn't that the ball room?" Sam asked.

" Well, I think so." Adeline replied," why is everyone so angry-looking?"

" I do say, Claire, my dear, where are they? They are supposed to be singing now!" A tense voice shrieked near me.

" DBSK's helicopter had to be grounded because of the hurricanes in Korea now." Another voice replied.

" OOOOH! Isn't that Prince Harry?" Vanessa squealed, jumping up and down.

But I had an idea. If someone could distract everyone by singing, then we could easily find out where Kay was.

I turned around to Andrew and Sam.

Vanessa looked around at me smiling.

Sam and Andrew shook their heads pleadingly.

…

Okay, now that that was settled, Vanessa, Adeline, Nick and I headed down to the punch bowl.

" So what do we do now?" I asked, as Vanessa stared as Sam and Andrew started singing.

" They're really good." She spit out, wondrously.

" Nick?"

Nick didn't say anything.

" What- what's wrong?"

Adeline ran up to us.

" Hey, I'll be outside. Lizzy just called me." She informed," Careful, you guys."

With that she left.

And then we heard a shriek of distress.

Nick and I swiveled around.

V  
anessa was gone.

…

Chapter Eleven

Viviomentus Ruby

" Oh my-where did she go?" I screamed.

Some people turned to look at us.

Nick hurriedly pointed to the exit, where we saw the hem of Vanessa's green dress disappear.

He then looked at me like he was about to cry.

" What's wrong?" I asked, frightened.

Nick shook his head, " Hurry up!"

Sam and Andrew stopped singing for a minute and looked at us.

I followed Nick down the hall and past a lot of passage ways until we stopped finally at a set of marble and blue stairs that led down to the bottom layer of Buckingham.

Then, Nick stopped, and a breeze from the window swept across his pale face.

I knew something was wrong.

" Sorry Katie." He murmured.

" Sorry? For- what?" I asked, panicking.

" I-I- I'm on his side. Camille and me. We were on HIS side." He whispered, and started running down the stairs.

I stood there for a millisecond in anguish and tears and confusion as the wind got even faster and knocked the glass of the window down.

And then I understood, and I didn't believe.

" NO WAIT! NICK! COME BACK! NICK! PLEASE! WAIT!" I scrambled down the stairs, tripping and crying as I went.

Finally, I reached the bottom of the stairs, and found an empty marble glassed-floored room with lamps flickering and chandeliers glowing in every direction.

" NICK?" I hesitated. Something was about to go wrong. Everything felt wrong.

And I heard something creep up behind me.

" Don't let go." A voice in my head told me. I realized I was holding my wand in bun in my head as tight as I ever did anything in my life.

" Don't let go." I whispered back, and someone cackled behind me.

" Ah… we've been expecting you Song." The voice echoed.

A flash of light burned my face and the room lit in flames.

I began to scream when I saw who had spoke. The withered pale talon gripped the insides of my skull, and rotated me around to face him.

His face was high, pompous, snobby, withered, and evil. His eyes were bright red and his lips were black and pale. His nose curled up and his greasy black hair framed his gaunt face.

" No! Let me go, you freak!"

" There's another one that needs to be destroyed, eh, smart one? You're grandmother, great-grandmother, they've all died for this. You are not about to stop me."  
" Yes, yes, I will stop you. Where's Vanessa? Where's Nick?"

The cold voice sneered.

" You're Nick is mine, you idiot. He is not yours."

" He is ours!"

"NO! He was never on your side. He and his cousin have been helping me lure you and your wand, that precious wand made with a half a cup of Unicorn Hair that was the wand of Merlin the great, and the gems that you have earned, to be mine. If Camille had only listened, and got the wand before anything happened, you wouldn't even know what any of this is. NOW, before I have to do anything, give me that wand!"  
" NO! NEVER!" I shrieked, as the nails dug deeper into my skull.

Kay sneered and threw it from my hand.

I shook my head.

" I won't work for you. I- I wont let you do anything!"

I don't know what's wrong with me right now, but I keep saying things I don't know the meaning of.

" LIAR!" Kay stabbed the wand in my heart and before he could do anything a voice interrupted.

" Oh Kay, I suggest you let her go."

"Adeline?"

Kay swiveled around and two pairs of legs smacked him in the face.

" Katie, he's looking for your wand and the ruby. Go get the ruby and leave before anything else-" Adeline started.

" No! Who is that behind you?" I inquired.

" FOOLS! I already have the ruby." Kay drawled, slinking to liquid and into solid again.

" No. You can't keep it until you-"

" Kill, I know, dear. And watch who I kill."

" Nooooo!" Camille's sweet voice trilled, sliding underneath the flames, missing to catch the ruby from Kay.

" YOU!"

Kay moved his hands strangely and everyone started burning in the flames.

Vanessa began running out of a platform on the ceiling, her hands cuffed in iron.

Nick appeared out of the door, and Kay began to smile as he looked at my wand a few feet away from him.

Kay grinned and dragged Nick towards him and pulled out a dagger.

Nick sighed as I began to scream. Kay swooped the dagger across Nick's face and dropped him onto the floor.

Everyone screamed and I heaved down next to Nick.

His face was as white as ice and nearly as cold, and the beads of blood pouring down from his face was even more gaunt and sorry than anything else on his face. But his blue eyes seemed to be brighter than before.

" Sorry Katie." Nick said.

Tears fell off my face and I gripped my wand loosely between my fingertips.

Suddenly, Vanessa began to chant,

" Don't let go. Don't let go."

" DON'T LET GO DON'T LET GO." The voices inside the room kept on getting louder and louder until finally my wand was bright red.

I looked at it and looked up at Kay, who looked back at me horrified.

" You're done Kay." I muttered. And as I did so, the flames burst into water, the window's glass sprayed open, the chandeliers fell down in snowflakes, and things shot out of my wand like bullets.

Kay shook his head.

" You cannot kill me lady. You do not know that I am already immortal. The Philosopher's stone, The Viviomentus Ruby, The Evil's Prize, I have eaten it whole. It's gone. You cannot kill me ever. Do what you'd like, but none of you will kill me."

" And that's where you're wrong." A voice boomed.

My head started to spin and I sat down, feebly, as several silvery cloaked figures come up out the things that shot out of my wand.

" Who are you people?" Kay demanded.

" We, Kay, are the round table. I, Kay, am your brother." A voice from the nearest cloak answered.

" Arthur?"

" Yes, and I am sorry, little brother, of all the pain I have caused you. But if you had known what I would have done if I had not known that you poisoned my wife and our father. You would have had this Kay." King Arthur felt his cloak for something and retrieved a sword.

" You would have had the sword, Kay. The one you've always wanted. But you are a fool, Kay. Alchemists have not yet and never will discover the Sorcerer's Stone. It is a dangerous myth. But you have been living on the apples of Avalon. Avalon's apples are just as dangerous, for if you have not learned your lesson of life, you are dead the moment your mouth touches it. And Kay, you've been dead all this time. No you are still breathing. But you're not living. "

"And Kay, remember." A voice of a female began, " that I, Morgan would not feed Merlin his murder. This is because when you murder, you make pain for yourself. Even Morgause, even she understands that we all have to die someday. And she herself is a spirit."

" And one more thing, Kay, dear, I am sorry to say that too many people in this world believe that alchemists can find the Sorcerer's Stone. But people die trying to find LIFE. They don't see that, as they try to find the stone of life, they die anyway, drinking what they don't know is poison." Said the voice of Guinevere.

" Magic is not immortality, son, it's the art of love and even death. We cannot give life with it, if we do, terrible things happen. Such as now, you are truly what human produce is dead. And now, you will die without honor, without class, and you will live guarded by the dragon of Avalon. We are done Kay." Said an elderly voice that sounded the most magical. The figures were gone in a flash.

" No please… I am dead…. There is no Sorcerer's Stone. What a fool I am. What a fool." Kay raved, as his head started granulating in the air and in a few seconds, he was gone.

Nick began to groan, and the whole place began to reformat, as Vanessa and the others were released.

" NICK! NICK!" I screamed, shaking him fervently.

" Huh… what? Err, Katie? Where are we? We're still- where'd he- hello-are you listening to me?" Nick demanded.

Vanessa shrieked with joy.

" Nick wasn't trying to help him, was he? He's not acting like it." She started.

" Okay, I kind of was. But well, Camille never told me he was evil." Nick said.

" Well, you know. He is our great-great-great…." Camille drawled.

" Oh yeah, and sorry Katie, about before. I was trying to get that wand. You know it is Merlin's. You have his blood. It's made of a half a cup if Unicorn Hair. It's really rare…"

All of the sudden, Sam and Andrew stumbled in.

" Hey, did you guys get the round table we sent you?" Andrew asked.

" YOU sent me?" I bellowed.

" Well, Sam was watching from all the way up the stairs, and so we could help, Sam said that if all of us hoped for help it would come. And it came. Actually, practically you did it totally Katie."

…

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

" Ugh, Vanessa, you idiot, that's my foot." Sam called.

" Shut up, you numskull. What time is it Katie?" Vanessa asked, as we clambered out of the basement, thanks to Sam's wishing thing.

" Its, Andrew, you're the one with a watch, why don't you check?"

" It's 9 o' clock AM."

"Good, Uncle Ben's probably not awake yet. And Lizzy is probably still sleeping."

" Well, it's a Saturday, and hello, I'm awake." Lizzy mumbled behind them.

" And you, Katie, have I not told you to not go to the attic or the basement? You never listen and that's why Kay almost KILLED you."

I rushed to Lizzy and gave her a bear hug.

" Hi, all of you. Where'd you all come from?" Uncle Ben called sleepily from the 2nd story.

"Oh, we had a sleepover, Uncle Ben. And Uncle Ben, do you know an Aunt Tracey, by any chance?" I asked, suddenly remembering.

" Oh- no. I don't."

" You're mother told me that she was just an imaginary person, and if she was that she would know." Lizzy assured me.

" Hmm… okay." I said.

" Do you guys want pancakes, or oatmeal?"

" Can we watch Beauty and the Beast?" Sam and Nick started.

" Wait, do you're parents know where you are?" Andrew asked.

Adeline nodded.

" I've told all of them where you were. Obviously, you're at Camille Connor's house having a movie night."

" Ugh, boys don't HAVE movie night slumber parties." Sam gagged.

" Oh come on, you guys, Uncle Ben, where's Beauty and the Beast?" I asked.

" I have it!"

" Okay. Come on guys!"

…

Okay, you might think this as a happy ending. Well, it is, for now at least. But I can't help thinking that I have an Aunt Felicity. I think this summer was probably the best and guess what? I'm totally coming back next year! Anyway, I still haven't found out what Philip means in French, but if I do, I'll keep you guys posted!

Bye.

Katie Jennifer Parvati Song.

The story of a wand made with a half a cup of Unicorn Hair.


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